Trailing edge adjustable weight system for helicopter main rotor blades
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRobert T. Loftus, Michael J. McNulty, Kevin D. Henthorn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system of adjustable balancing weights is provided for a helicopter main rotor blade. The trailing edge of the rotor blade is formed with a plurality of recesses that each receive an aerodynamically shaped weight to adjust and balance the weight of the rotor blade. A forward weight recess and a forward weight are also provided on the rotor blade adjacent the rotor blade leading edge. The lateral spacing between the weight adjacent the rotor blade leading edge and the weights adjacent the rotor blade trailing edge provides greater flexibility in balancing the mass of the rotor blade.
Claims20
An aircraft rotor comprising:
- a rotor blade having a longitudinal length with opposite proximal and distal ends, and opposite leading and trailing edges;
- and
- a balancing weight removably attached to the rotor blade at a position that is intermediate the rotor blade proximal and distal ends and is adjacent the rotor blade trailing edge, the balancing weight having an external configuration that is aerodynamically shaped with a narrow forward end that is positioned toward the rotor blade leading edge, and a wider rearward end that is positioned toward the rotor blade trailing edge.
An aircraft rotor comprising:
- a rotor blade having a longitudinal length with opposite proximal and distal ends, and a lateral width between opposite leading and trailing edges of the rotor blade;
- a set of balancing weights that are removably attachable to the rotor blade, each balancing weight of the set of balancing weights having a same size and external configuration, and at least some of the balancing weights of the set of balancing weights having different weight values;
- and,
- the external configuration of each balancing weight being aerodynamically shaped with a narrow forward end that is positioned toward the rotor blade leading edge, and a wider rearward end that is positioned toward the rotor blade trailing edge.
An aircraft rotor comprising:
- a rotor blade having a longitudinal length with opposite proximal and distal ends, a lateral width between opposite leading and trailing edges of the rotor blade, and a recess formed in the rotor blade adjacent the rotor blade trailing edge;
- a balancing weight attached to the rotor blade in the rotor blade recess;
- and,
- the rotor blade recess having an aerodynamic shape with the recess being longitudinally narrow toward the rotor blade leading edge and the recess being wider toward the rotor blade trailing edge.
An aircraft rotor comprising:
- a rotor blade having a longitudinal length with opposite proximal and distal ends, a lateral width between opposite leading and trailing edges of the rotor blade, and a recess formed in the rotor blade adjacent the rotor blade trailing edge,
- a balancing weight attached to the rotor blade in the rotor blade recess;
- and,
- the recess having a triangular configuration with an apex positioned toward the rotor blade leading edge and a base positioned toward the rotor blade trailing edge.
An aircraft rotor comprising:
- a rotor blade having a longitudinal length with opposite proximal and distal ends, a lateral width between opposite leading and trailing edges of the rotor blade, and a recess formed in the rotor blade adjacent the rotor blade trailing edge,
- a balancing weight attached to the rotor blade in the rotor blade recess;
- and,
- the recess having a depth dimension into the rotor blade, and the recess depth dimension decreases as the recess extends from a forward end of the recess toward the rotor blade leading edge, to a rearward end of the recess toward the rotor blade trailing edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.